read over also St. Augustines works whom he loved and preferred before all the other Doctors of the Church He resided also at Paris that he might have oportunity of conferring with learned men There he erected a goodly University which he furnished with as learned meâ— as those times could afford and endowed it with great priviledges For he had an exceeding great care to make it a Nurcery for the holy Ministry that from thence the Church might be supplyed with able Teachers whence also grew so many Colleges of Chanâ—ons with sufficient revenues annexed thereunto Thus Charlemagne spent three years happily in the only care of his Soul leaving an illustrious example to all Princes to moderate and ennoble their greatnesse with Piety and so to enjoy their Temporal estates as in the mean time not to neglect their eternal concernments and to think of their departure out of this Life in time Foreseeing his Death whereunto he prepared himself by these exercise he made his last Will and Testamont leaving his Son Lewis the sole heir unto his great Kingdoms and bequeathed to the Church much Treasure But all things and Persons in this World have an end His Testament was but the Harbinger to his Death for presently after he was taken with a pain in his side or Pluresie and lay sick but eight dayes and so yielded up his Spirit unto God that gave it Anno Christi 814. and of his age seventy one and of his Raign forty seven including fifteen years of his Empire His Body was interred in a sumptuous Church which he had caused to be built in the City of Aquisgrave or Aix la Capelle where he was born and his memory was honored with a goodly Epitaph He was one of the greatest Princes that ever lived His vertues are a patterne to other Monarchs and his great successes the subject of their wishes The greatnesse of his Monarchy indeed was admirable For he quietly enjoyed all France Germany the greatest part of Hungary all Italy and a good part of Spain At the time of his Death he was in peace with the other Kings of Spain as also with the Kings of England Denmark Balgarie with the Emperor Leo of Constantinople and withall the Princes of that time This Noble Prince was endued with so many excellent virtues that we read of very few in antient Histories that excelled him so that he may be justly compared with the best of them For in Martial Discipline in Valour in Dexterity in feats of Armes there are none that exceeded him He obtained as many Victories fought as many Battles and subdued as many fierce and Warlike Nations as any one we read of and that both before and after that he was Emperor He was tall of Stature very well proportioned in all his members passing strong of a fair and grave countenance Valiant mild mercifull a lover of Justice liberall very affable pleasant well read in History a great Friend of Arts and Sciences and sufficiently seen into them and a man who above all loved and rewarded learned men He was very Charitable in his Kingdoms yea in his very Court he harboured and relieved many Strangers and Pilgrims In matters of Faith and Religion he was very Zealous and most of the Wars which he made were to propagate and enlarge the Christian Faith He being misled by the darknesse of the times wherein he lived superstitiously honoured and obeyed the Church of Rome and the Pope that was Bishop thereof together with other Bishops and Prelates commanding his Subjects also to do the like He was also very devout and spent much of his time in Prayer Hearing and Reading In his Diet he was very temperate and a great enemy to riot and excesse and though he was Rich and Mighty yet fed he his Body with what was necessary and wholesome not rare costly and strange And yet his virtues were not without their blemishes as the greatest commonly are not without some notable vices For in his Younger dayes he was much given to women adding Concubines to his lawful Wives by whom he had divers Children But this was in the time of his youth For afterwards he contented himself with his Wife and for a remedy of this imperfection though he was three or four times a Widdower yet he ever maried again the Daughter of some great Prince or other To conclude all he was an excellent Emperor that loved and feared God and dyed when he was very Old and full of Honour leaving Lewis the weakest of his Sons the sole heir of his great Empire but not of his virtues So that this great building soon declined in his posterity He had engraven upon his Sword Pro Deo Religione For God and Religion He used to set his Crown upon the Bible as our Canutus sometime put his Crown upon the Rood both of them thereby intimating that as all honour was due to God so true Religion was the best Basis of Government and that Piety was the best Policy The Epitaph which I spake of was this Sub hoc conditorio situm est Corpus Caroli Magni atque Orthodoxi Imperatoris qui Regnum Francorum nobiliter ampliavit per annos Quadraginta septem foelicite tenuit Decessit Septuagenarius Anno Domini 814. Indictione 7. Quinto Calend. Febru Under this Tomb lieth the body of Charles the Great and Catholick Emperor who most Nobly enlarged the Kingdom of the French and most happily ruled it for the space of forty and seaven years He died in the seventy and one year of his age In the year of our Lord eight hundred and fourteen the seventh Indiction on the fifth Calends of February He had five Wives the first was called Galcena the Daughter of the King of Galistria by whom he had no Children The second was Theodora the sister or as others say the Daughter of Dâ—diâ—r King of Lombâ—rdy whom he kept not long but repudiated her for sundry reasons The third was Hildeb anda Daughter of the Duke of Suevia whom he loved exceedingly and had by her three Sons viz. Charles his eldest whom he made King of the greatest and best part of France and Germany Pepin his second whom he made King of Italy Bavaria c. Lewis his youngest to whom he left the Empire intire his Brothers being both Dead in their Fathers Life time This Lewis was surnamed Debonaire or the Courteous He had also three Daughters the eldest was called Rothruda the second Birtha and the youngest Giselia who would never marry His fourth Wife he had out of Germany called Fastrada And his fifth and last was also a German Lady called Luithgranda of the Suevian Race by whom he had no Children He shewed his love to Religion by having one during his Meale-times that either read to him some part of the Holy Scriptures or else some part of Saint Augustines Books especially that De Civitate
Alexander resolved to pasâ—e over the River of Hydaspes and to find out Porus at his own home But Porus saved him that labour attending him on the farther bank with thirty thousand Foot ninety Elephants and three hundred armed Chariots and a great Troop of Horse The River was half a mile broad and withall deep and swift It had in it many Islands amongst which there was one much overgrown with Wood and of good capacity Alexander sent Ptolomy with a good part of the Army up the River shrowding the rest from the sight of Porus under this Island by this devise Porus being drawn from the place of his first encamping set himself down opposite to Ptolomy supposing that the whole Army of Alexander was there intending to force their passage But in the mean while Alexander with his men recovered the farther shore without resistance and ordering his Troops he advanced towards Porus who at first imagined them to be Abiasares his confederate come over Hydaspis to asist him But finding it to be otherwise he sent his Brother Hagis with four thousand Horse and a hundred armed Chariots to entertain him Each Chariot had in it four to fight and two to guid it But they were at this time of little use by reason that much raine having falne the Fields were so soul that the Horses could hardly trot In this fight the Scythians and Dahans had Alexanders vantgard who so galled the Indians with their Darts and Arrows that the Horses brake their reines and overturned the Chariots and those that were in them Perdiccas also charged the Indian Horsemen who were by him forced to recoil Then did Porus moove forward with the Gross of his Army that his Vantgard who were scattered might retreat into his Reare Alexander being followed by Ephestion Ptolomy and Perdiccas charged the Indian Horsmen in the left wing commanding Cenon to set upon the right He directed also Antigonus and Leonatus to charge Porus his Battel of Foot strengthned with Elephants Porus himself riding upon one of the biggest of them By these Beasts the Macedonian Foot received the greatest damage but the Archers and Darters being well guarded with the long and strong Pikes of the Macedonians so galled them that the Elephants being inraged turned head and ran over their own Footmen that followed them In the end after a long and doubtfull fight by the advantage of weapons and the skill and courage of the Macedonian Captains the victory fell to Alexander who also far exceeded Porus in number of men For besides the Macedonians and other Eastern and Northen Nations Alexander was assisted by Porus his Confederates and Country people Yet for his own Person he never gave ground otherwise than with his Sword towards his enemies till being weakned by many wounds and abandoned by his Army he became a Prisoner to the Conqueror from whom again he received his Kingdom with a great enlargement I forbear to mention other petty victories which Alexander obtained after this in his failing down the River of Indus The discription of places about the Head and branches thereof are better known to us by reason of our late Navigations and discoveries than they were in former times The magnificence and Rights of those Indian Kings we could in no sort be perswaded to believe till our own experience had taught us that there are many stranger things in the world than we see in our own Country Alexander having by this time overwearied his Army he discovered the rest of India by fame The Indian Kings whom he had subdued informed him that a King called Aggrameâ—â—s ruled over many Nations beyond the River Gangâ—â— who was able to bring into the Field two hundred thousand Foot twenty thousand Horse three thousand Elephants and two thousand armed Chariots With this report though Alexander was more enflamed than ever to proceed in his Discoveries and Conquests yet all his Oratory could not prevaile with his Souldiers to adventure over those wast Desarts beyond Indus and Gaâ—ges which were more terrible to them than the greatest Army that the East could gather Yet at last they were overcome by many perswasions to follow him towards the South to discover such parts of the Ocean as were neerer at hand unto which the River Indus was their infallible guid Alexander seeing it would be no otherwise devised a pretty trick by which he hoped to beguil after-ages and make himself seem greater than he was For which end he enlarged his Camp made greater Trenches greater Cabins for Souldiers greater Hors-stalls and higher Mangers than Horses could feed in Yea he caused all furniture both for Men and Horses to be made larger than would serve for use and scattered these Armors and Bridles about his Camp to be kept as reliques and wondred at by those Barbarous People Proportionable unto these he raised up twelve great Altars to be Monuments of his jorneyes end This done he returned again to the banks of Asesines and there determined to build his Fleet where Ausines and Hydaspes meet and to testifie by a surer Monument how far he had passed towards the East he built by those Rivers two Cities the one he called Nicaea and the other Bucephalon after the name of his beloved Horse Bucephalus Heere again he received a new supply of six thousand Thracian Horsemen seven thousand Foot and from his Leiutenant of Babylon twenty five thousand Armours garnished with Silver and Gold which he distributed amongst his Souldiers About these Rivers he wan many Towns and committed great slaughter on those that resisted It s said that besieging a City of the Oxidracans he leaped from the top of the wall into it and fought long against all the Inhabitants till his Souldiers forcing a Gate came in to his rescue Finally he passed down the River with his Fleet at which time news was brought him of a Rebellion in Bactria and then of the arrivall of a hundred Ambassadors from a King in India who submitted himself to him These Ambassadors he Feasted upon a hundred Beds of Gold with all the sumptuousness that could be devised who soon after their dispatch returned again and presented him with three hundred Horses and one hundred and thirty Wagons and in each of them four Horses a thousand Targets with many other things rare and rich Then sailed Alexander towards the South passing through many obscure Nations which all yielded to him either quietly or by force Amongst these he built another Alexandria Of the many places which he took in his passage one was called Samus the Inhabitants whereof fought against him with poisoned Swords with one of which Ptolomy afterwards King of Egypt was wounded and was cured by an Herb which Alexander dreamed he had seen in the mouth of a Serpent When he came neer to the out-let of Indus being ignorant of the Tides of the Sea his Gallies on a sudden were shuffled one against another by the coming
French but in case of necessity was easily perswaded by Didier who came to Rome conferred with the Pope and made great Protestations of his Obedience to him But these his faire shewes continued not long There was at this time at Rome a Governour for the Easterne Emperor called Paul Ephialte him Didier corrupted and the administration of Justice being in his hands he made use of him so cunningly as that in the presence of Pope Steven he caused him to seize upon two of his cheif Secretaries Christopher Sergius whom Didier accused of some pretended crimes and presently to hang them in an infamous manner Their greatest offence was because they favored the French Neither did he rest here but caused all the principal Citizens to be banished whom he observed to be of the French faction that so having removed all hinderances he might be Master of Rome in despite of the Pope Steven was not so dull but he discovered the Lombards practice exceedingly to tend to his prejudice whereupon he sent to Charlemagne beseeching him to prepare an Army against Didiers force This Charlemagne easily assented to and fully resolved upon But Didier had provided a divertisment in France by the meanes of Caroloman to stop Charles his passage into Italy making work for him in Guienne where there arose a perilous Warre upon this occasion Though the Country of Guienne depended upon the Crown of France yet were there many Tumults raised by the practices of some Noblemen of the Countrey who frequently stirred up the people mutinous enough of themselves to Rebellion The cause of these Troubles was the abuse of the former Kings Clemency and Bounty who suffered such people as he Conquered to enjoy their priviledges and liberties Eudon a Nobleman of Guienne began first under Martel Jeffery and Hunult his Children and heirs of his discontent had continued it under Pepin and Jeffery being now dead Hunalt succeeded him with the like hatred which Caroloman fomented that he might imploy him against his Brother Charles Guienne was a part of Charles his portion But Hunalts design was to withdraw that Country wholly from the Crown of France and for that end he pretended a Title to the Dukedom thereof labouring to procure the people to Elect him having the promise and assistance of Caroloman to further him therein Indeed the countenance of Caroloman could do much but the wisdome and courage of Charlemagne prevailed more For being advertised of Hunalts practice and of his Brothers secret designes he armed with such speed as that he surprised the Townes of Poictiers Xante and Angoulesm and all the Country adjoyning Hunalt who had reckoned without Charles finding himself thus prevented fled to a Noble man of that Country called Loup whom he held not only to be firme to his faction but also his trusty and affectionate friend Charlemagne being informed hereof sent presently to Loup requiring him to deliver Hunalt into his hands who was guilty of high Treason and in the mean time he built a Fort in the middest of the Country where the Rivers of Dordonne and Lisle do joyn which he called Fronsac the better to secure his Country against such Invaders Loup not daring to refuse delivered up Hunalt and all his Family into the hands of Charles who pardoned Loup and all that obeyed him thus ending a dangerous Warre without blowes And to Hunalt he granted life and liberty and the enjoyment of his goods leaving a memorable example to all Princes how to carry themselves in a Civil War preventing a mischief by prudence and diligence and not to thrust their vanquished Subjects into despair by rigour Caroloman seeing his practices against his Brother to succeed so ill undertook a journy to Rome with an intent to cause some alterations there which yet he covered with a pretence of devotion He also took his Mother Berthe along with him and in their passage they were honourably entertained by Didier King of the Lombards where Berthe treated and concluded a marriage between her Son Charlemagne and Theodora Sister or Daughter to this Didier who was one of the greatest enemies to her Sons good Fortune Yet Charlemagne to please his Mother received his Wife but soon after put her away as neither suiting with his affects or affaires and so that which was intended as a cause of love bred a greater hatred betwixt these two Princes Caroloman having effected nothing at Rome answerable to his desire but only discovered his foolish and malitious jealousie too apparent under his feigned devotion returned into France and there soon after died Anno Christi 770. Leaving the intire Kingdom to his Brother who had now no Corival Charlemagne having put away his Wife Theodora upon suspition of incontinency he married Hildegard or Ildegrade Daughter to the Duke of Sueve his Vassall by whom he had Charles Pepin and Lewis and three Daughters Rotrude Bâ—rthe and Gille who were the Nursery of his Noble Family But Carolomans jealousie died not with him but survived in his Wife Berthe who being impatient of her present condition and thrust headlong with a spirit of revenge against her Brother in Law Charles retired with her two Sons to Didier King of Lombardy as to the most bitter and irreconcilable enemy of her Brother Charles Didier intertained her and her Children very curteously hoping by them to promote his design But it proved the leaven of his own destruction His practice together with the Widdows was to procure the present Pope who Steven being dead was one Adrian a Roman Gentleman to Crown and confirm the Sons of Caroloman for Kings of France wherein the Lombard had two designs First by this meanes to bring the Pope in disgrace with Charlemagne that he might the easilier suppresse him being destitute of the French aides whereon he chiefly relyed and Secondly to set France in a flame by setting up new Kings in it Didier therefore earnestly besought the Pope to grant this favour to the Sons of Caroloman for his sake But Adrian well acquainted with the Lombards humour was so resolute in denying his request as that they fell into open hatred And Didier being much displeased with this repulse took Armes and with his Forces entred into the Exarchy being a Signory under the Popes jurisdiction and besieged Ravenna the chief City of the Exarchie Whereupon the Pope sent his Nuncio to him to expostulate the cause of this so sudden War against his Subjects desiring him to restore what he had taken and not to proceed in this Hostile manner without any reasonable cause and that upon the pain of Excommunication At the same time there fell out a great occasion to encrease the hatred between Charlemagne and Didier For that Hunalt who had bin before vanquished in Guienne and to whom Charles had shew'd so much favor very ingratefully retir'd himself to Didier who did not only receive him courteously but honored him by
Dei or some History He was also a great Friend to Learning and therefore erected three Universities One was Padua in Italy another was that at Boulognia the third was that in Paris whereunto he was excited by our Countryman Alâ—win who was his Tutor His Sons he caused to be trained up in the Study of the Liberall Arts and his Daughters to Learne to sow and practice good Huswifery He alwayes wore a short Sword at his Girdle in the Pummel whereof was engraven his Coat of Armes with which he Sealed all his Lawes c. And used to say Behold the Sword which shall defend my Lawes and that shall be drawn and imployed against those that break them In the year eight hundred and four The King of the Scots entered into the first League which was between the two Kingdoms of France and Scotland which was confirmed by succeeding Kings which occasioned one of them to adde unto their Coat of Armes a double streak of Gules with Flower de Lisses round their Escutchion to shew that their alliance with France conduced much to the support of their Kingdome FINIS His Parentage His Birth His Education His early wisdom Bâ—cephalus broken by Alexander His mildness He comes to his Kingdom He slays his Fathers murtherers He in-tends war against Persia. He subdues the Grecians And other Nations And the Thebans A brave Example His vision He goes into Asia His cruelty Gods Justice Darius his Pride His victory at Granick He wins many Cities and Countries The Queen of Caria Adopts him He Cuts the Gordian knot He Conquers the Islands Memnon dies Good Counsel neglected The Streights of Cilicia taken Darius his Army The manner of his march His Pride and Folly Alexander beats Darius Darius his cruelty and Folly Alexanders Chastity Darius flies Alexanders great success A notable Example Darius desires peace which Alexander rejected Tyre attempted and taken Alexanders rigor Darius his second message Rejected by Alexander Gaza besieged and taken Alexanders cruelty He goes to Jerusalem and worships the High Priest His vision His favor to the Jews Egypt delivered to him His journey to Jupiter Hammon Zach. 14. 18. His Pride The power of the Gospel Alaxandria built He passeth Euphrates And Tygris Base cowardize Darius his new Army An Eclipse frightens the Macedonians Darius his Wife died Proposals to Alexander Alexanders answer His ambition His Valour They prepare to fight A Battel Darius beaten and flyes Arbela taken and much Treasure Babylon taken Base cruelty Susa taken Gross folly Alexandor beaten Barbarous cruelty Persepolis taken A foolish enterprise Alexander turns Drunkard Persopolis burnt Darius his last Army The Treason of Bessus The fidelity of the Greeks Dariuâ— discharges his Attendants Darius made a Prisoner and abused Gods Justice Alexander pursues him Darius is wounded His last words Alexanders Ambition He goes into Hyrcania Diverse submit to him Queen of the Amazons comes to him He affects a Deity For which he is scorned of his Friends He burns all the Spoils Rebellion against him Treason against him It s discovered to Alexander Philotus accused Alexanders dissimulation Philatas accused by the King Philotus condemned and tortured to death Alexanders cruelty Parmenio murthered Alexander marches forward Builds a City Wants water Bessus taken Alexanders cruelty Bessus slain He is wounded He is wounded 〈◊〉 He builds a City Menedemus slain A Rebellion Clytus slain The effect of drunknesse Dreadfull stormes His Ambition Calisthenes speaks against it And is tormented to Death He marches into India His Feasts to Bacchus He conquers many Countries His Prodigallity He sends to Porus. A Battel Porus beaten He is restored to his Kingdom His Policy He builds two Cities His Conquests He builds a City He wants food His Debauchedness He Punishes his Officers He visits the Sepulchre of â—â—rus His cruelâ—y Calanus burnt himself His marriage and â—easting Harpalus slain His Army discontented He sends for Antipater Ephestion dies Alexander dies His Will The vanity of all earthly things The confusions after his Death Gods Justice His Character His love to his Mother His Ambition Flattery He degenerated after his victories His bounty His Temperance His Chastity King Pepins Children Pepins death His Character Charles made King His Education His Valour and other vertues His Endowments Carolomans envy The State of Rome Severall Popes chosen Steven confirmed Didiers Policy The Popes Secretaries hanged The Pope sends for K. Charles Troubles in Guienne Charles subdues Hunalt Charles his Policy and Clemency Charles his marriage Carolomans death Câ—arles his second mariage Pope Adrian Didiers Policy He makes Warre against the Pope Hunalts ingratitude The Pope sends to Charles for aid Charles Arms against Didier Didier prospers in his Wars Charles calls a Parliament Enters Italy and beates Didier Charles besieges Pavia Verona The Italians submit to him Verona taken And Pavia Didier taken Prisoner Charles his moderation A Councel at Rome New troubles in Italy But suppressed Charles his Wars with the Saxons The cause of it Charles calls a Parliament The Saxons overcome And converted Charles his Wars in Spaine Charles circumvenâ—ed Charles calâ—s a Parliament His great preparations His entry into Spain Pampelune taken Milon defeated Aigoland entred France Charles returnes Aigolans Policy Aigolands dissimulation Charles returnes into Spain Aigoland overthrown and slain The Sarazins Rally â— Gyant slain A Treaty of Peace A Traytor Charles returns into France Rowland assaulted His Valor His Death Charles overcomes the Sarazins Returns into France A Rebellion in Italy His Wars in Bavaria His Victories His education of his Children A Sedition in Rome The Pope freed out of Prison Flies to Charles Charles goes to Rome Clears the Pope upon his Oath The State of the Easterne Empire Contention about Images A Counsel from them Câ—arles against Images An unnatural Mother Irene treats with Charles Irene hated and deposed Nicephorus succeeds her He treats with Charles His large Dominions His title to the Empire Naucler An agreement betwixt Charles and the Pope Charles is envied Zonar Nicephorus is slain The Saxons oft rebell Charles his Prudence Crantz in Saxon. Bishopricks erected Troubles in Italy War with the Venetians Charles makes his Will He gives Laws to his Subjects Infidels beaten And the Bohemians and Polanders His War with the King of Denmarke Pepin dies And Charles New enemies rise up His love to the Church He called five Councels His Ecclesiastical Constitutions A Councel at Frankfurt His Temperance His Exercises His Charity His last Wars His preparation for Death He makes His Will His virtues His large Dominions His Character His Zeale His blemishes His Epitaph The time of his Death His Wives and Children His devotion His care of his Children His league with Scotland